Welcomes You
to this Genealogy Trails website
for Washington County
This County website is Available for Adoption!
Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing
genealogical and historical data and placing it online for the free use of all researchers.
We're looking for folks who share our dedication to putting data online and are interested in helping this project
be as successful as we can make it. If you are interested in joining our group by hosting one of the available
county websites, view our Volunteer
Page for further information about us and then contact Kim.
[A desire to transcribe data and knowledge of how to make a basic
webpage is required.]
If you have information that you'd like to share with us on the history of this county and its people, please send it to us and we'll make sure it gets posted online. We are looking for biographies, birth and death
records, obituaries, newspaper stories, family history - the items YOU used to put together your family trees.
We regret we cannot do personal research for you.
Surrounding Counties:
Chisago County (north)
Polk County, Wisconsin (northeast) St. Croix County,
Wisconsin (east)
Pierce County, Wisconsin (southeast)
Dakota County (south)
Ramsey County (west)
Anoka County (northwest)
Washington County was officially created on October 27, 1849, in the Territory of Minnesota (Minnesota was admitted
to the United States as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858). As one of Minnesota's original nine counties, Washington
County is located on the eastern edge of the Twin Cities Metropolitan area and is comprised of 423 square miles
of land.
The county seat is Stillwater.
History: On July 29 and September
29, 1837, treaties were signed between the US government and the local Ojibwa and Dakota nations that allowed settlement
in the St. Croix Valley. The town was founded by settlers drawn by the area's then-abundant lumber and river traffic,
making Stillwater one of Minnesota's oldest towns, predating Minneapolis by several years. Stillwater was officially
incorporated as a city March 4, 1854 (the same day as St. Paul).
Stillwater is often referred to as the birthplace of Minnesota. In 1848, a territorial convention that began the
process of establishing Minnesota as a state was held in Stillwater at the corner of Myrtle and Main Streets. Minnesota
officially became a territory in 1849 and became a state in 1858. Shortly after Minnesota became a territory, Stillwater
was chosen as the site of the territory's first prison. The Minnesota Territorial Prison was opened in 1853.
Lumbering was the predominant industry in the St. Croix River Valley in the second half of the 19th century, and
for many years logs were sent down the St. Croix, collected at the St. Croix Boom Site two miles upstream of Stillwater,
and processed in Stillwater's many sawmills. Steamboats were used most widely from 1860–1890, and a few are still
used for entertainment purposes today. (Source: Wikipedia.org) Online Data
(We need data!!!)
Baytown Township
Denmark Township
Forest Lake Township
Grey Cloud Island Township
May Township
New Scandia Township
Stillwater Township
West Lakeland Township
Afton
Bayport
Birchwood Village
Cottage Grove
Dellwood
Forest Lake
Grant
Hastings (a small section)
Hugo
Lake Elmo
Lake St. Croix Beach
Lakeland Shores
Lakeland
Landfall
Mahtomedi
Marine on St. Croix
Newport
Oak Park Heights
Oakdale
Pine Springs
St. Marys Point
St. Paul Park
Stillwater
Willernie
White Bear Lake (a small section)
Woodbury
HELPFUL ADDRESSES
St. Croix Collection - Stillwater Public Library
651-439-1675
Local Oral Histories, Census Records, Stillwater City Directories, Cemeteries Index, Naturalization Records
Washington County Historical Society
651-439-5956
Warden's House Museum, Research, Special Events, e-Photo Album, Schools of the Past
Minnesota Historical Society
651-296-2143
Research Center/Libraries, 651-296-6126
General Information, Birth and Death Records prior to 1870.
